Ever since the automobile gained widespread popularity beginning in the early 1900s, drivers and vehicle manufacturers alike have struggled to enhance the fuel economy of their vehicles. The average fuel economy of a vehicle depends on many different factors including the size, shape and weight, driving and maintenance habits of the driver and the type and size of engine. Many compact and hybrid cars can achieve fuel economies of greater than 40 miles per gallon while large tractor trailers have fuel economies in the range of 3-5 miles per gallon. Recent data suggests that the average fuel economy of all vehicles in the United States is about 21 miles per gallon. With the average car in the United States being driven 12,000 miles per year, each car, on average consumes nearly 600 gallons of gasoline per year. The number of gallons of gasoline consumed each year in the United States becomes truly staggering when the number of vehicles (greater than 250 million) is factored in. Apart from the fuel costs related to operating a motor vehicle, the environmental impacts from burning fossil fuels are significant. Global warming and increased air pollution have been linked to burning fossil fuels. Therefore, reducing the amount of gasoline consumed in the United States would have positive economic and environment effects.
Many devices have been introduced over the years for improving a vehicle's fuel efficiency. For example, U.S. Patent Publication Number 2008/0054677 teaches a drag reducing vehicle attachment to a vehicle. However, such an attachment is formed from a rigid, transparent material that is configured to be in front of a license plate and therefore does not allow for shock absorption upon impact with another vehicle or object. Other devices claim to increase fuel efficiency by magnetically aligning gasoline molecules to promote more efficient combustion. Others purport to condition a vehicle's electrical system to achieve greater efficiency. Despite grand claims, devices such as these have been shown to provide virtually no increase in fuel efficiency. Other methods such as chemical fuel additives have been shown to provide modest increases in fuel efficiency, but not enough to justify the added cost.
Therefore, with the cost of gasoline rising due to increasing demand and geopolitical conflict, a need exists in the art for a device capable of increasing a vehicle's fuel economy.